How many remotes do you have? Six? Twelve? You may not use them all on a daily basis anymore but chances are you still have them somewhere. The remote is another one of those things that has become such a part of our lives that we don’t think about it. Of course, the remote was largely unheard of until the 1960s, and even by the 1980s it was a luxury item. Today they’re sold at drugstores for under $10.
The first remote control, and the first remote-controlled device, were shown in 1898 believe it or not by uber-genius Nikola Tesla, the man who invented most of our electrical power grid, not to mention the speedometer. (He also tried to invent ways to transmit electrical power wirelessly but that didn’t work out very well for the cows he fried along the way.) Radio control was great, but it was far out of the range of normal folks.
Wired
This is the first consumer remote. Created in 1955 (and it sure looks it) it was a companion to Zenith’s high-end consumer TVs. The way it worked was very novel compared to how things worked today. Computer chips were essentially unknown at the time so this device had to work more simply. Pressing one of the two buttons would strike a metal rod that produced a sound humans couldn’t hear. The TV had a microphone that listened for that sound. It was pure genius at the time. The remote never needed batteries and worked reliably (as long as nothing else in your house accidentally made the same ultrasonic sound.)
The only thing about this remote was that regular humans couldn’t hear the sound so they didn’t know that the more was working. The engineers put in an audible “click” as you pressed the buttons, which is why older folks still call the remote “the clicker.”
Infrared remotes came along in the 1970s, and flourished because they could be made more cheaply and didn’t require FCC certification. The first programmable universal remote came along in the 1980s thanks to Steve Wozniak, and easily-programmed ones were not far behind thanks to Paul Darbee. But it all started with Mr. Tesla and that wonderful brain of his.
Today’s remote is a complex computer all by itself, with onboard storage, 75 or more buttons, and even programmability. The ultimate remote, of course, is your phone. It’s infinitely programmable and can control most of the devices you actually watch. You can even get an IR blaster that’s controlled by your phone for devices without a smartphone app.
The 2010s was sort of the pinnacle of the age of having multiple remotes on your coffee table. Not long after that, people’s tastes started to slim down. Streaming boxes replaced DVD players and then smart TVs replaced those. Soundbars controlled by TVs replaced standalone AV receivers. Most folks today are down to one or two remotes unless they have a serious living room setup. Phones and tablets have largely replaced infrared remotes for complex setups as well. But, there will always be a place for that simple IR remote, as designed and pioneered by Nikola Tesla.
The post Someone INVENTED It: Remote Control appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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The first remote control
The first remote control, and the first remote-controlled device, were shown in 1898 believe it or not by uber-genius Nikola Tesla, the man who invented most of our electrical power grid, not to mention the speedometer. (He also tried to invent ways to transmit electrical power wirelessly but that didn’t work out very well for the cows he fried along the way.) Radio control was great, but it was far out of the range of normal folks.
“The clicker”
Wired
This is the first consumer remote. Created in 1955 (and it sure looks it) it was a companion to Zenith’s high-end consumer TVs. The way it worked was very novel compared to how things worked today. Computer chips were essentially unknown at the time so this device had to work more simply. Pressing one of the two buttons would strike a metal rod that produced a sound humans couldn’t hear. The TV had a microphone that listened for that sound. It was pure genius at the time. The remote never needed batteries and worked reliably (as long as nothing else in your house accidentally made the same ultrasonic sound.)
The only thing about this remote was that regular humans couldn’t hear the sound so they didn’t know that the more was working. The engineers put in an audible “click” as you pressed the buttons, which is why older folks still call the remote “the clicker.”
Modern infrared remotes
Infrared remotes came along in the 1970s, and flourished because they could be made more cheaply and didn’t require FCC certification. The first programmable universal remote came along in the 1980s thanks to Steve Wozniak, and easily-programmed ones were not far behind thanks to Paul Darbee. But it all started with Mr. Tesla and that wonderful brain of his.
Today’s remote is a complex computer all by itself, with onboard storage, 75 or more buttons, and even programmability. The ultimate remote, of course, is your phone. It’s infinitely programmable and can control most of the devices you actually watch. You can even get an IR blaster that’s controlled by your phone for devices without a smartphone app.
That pile of remotes
The 2010s was sort of the pinnacle of the age of having multiple remotes on your coffee table. Not long after that, people’s tastes started to slim down. Streaming boxes replaced DVD players and then smart TVs replaced those. Soundbars controlled by TVs replaced standalone AV receivers. Most folks today are down to one or two remotes unless they have a serious living room setup. Phones and tablets have largely replaced infrared remotes for complex setups as well. But, there will always be a place for that simple IR remote, as designed and pioneered by Nikola Tesla.
The post Someone INVENTED It: Remote Control appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
